It has been a while since I’ve done “Things That Don’t Suck Thursday”, so I thought it might be time to celebrate something. It’s fall and it’s harvest time. While I am not a fan of the increasing cold and damp weather, I absolutely love that the colours change, and with it come seasonal changes on market shelves.

Now, I really want to like pumpkin pie. I love the look of it. I want to bite into it and have my mouth do a happy dance. But in truth I am always, always disappointed. And for this reason I was under the assumption that I therefore did not like pumpkin. I have avoided all things pumpkin as a result. Would I want to spend $5 on a spiced pumpkin latte treat, for example, only be disappointed, when I know the regular every day coffee would do the same trick? Probably not. Recently, however, a co-worker brought in pumpkin muffins as a treat and they were quite yummy. I am now wondering if maybe there is something else in pumpkin pie that my tastebuds find disagreeable and perhaps the culinary experimentation should commence.

There is, however, a treat that comes out this time of year that I know will never disappoint…. Something that says, “this is fall so maybe your mouth should throw a party.” … Something that my brain turns to at the first sign of fall leaves…

Candy corn….. Mmmmmmm…. If candy corn were really a vegetable it would actually be possible for me to be a vegetarian, at least for October.

So, tell me… is there a seasonal treat you look forward to in fall? Do you make it yourself or is it something you buy? Does it have any ritual behind it (harvest it yourself, hide it from your kids, eat it in a special way)? I would love to hear about it. What will you celebrate today?

As mentioned in an earlier post, I had set yesterday aside for a TTDS post on indulgence. My grand plan at the time was that I would actually spend the first part of the week sampling a variety of treats with the goal of finding something wonderful to tell you about – you know, in the interest of thorough research. I’m nice like that.

And then Thursday arrived and I realized I hadn’t actually had a treat that week. No icey umbrella beverage, no decadent chocolate wonderfulness, no fancy lotion or potion or polish to sigh over. If I may be quite honest I don’t think I even got to watch an entire television program uninterrupted.

How did that happen? And is it happening to you?

I have discovered that I am spending my time completely consumed with day to day life, moving from crisis to crisis, from task to task, from detail to detail. The ultimate indulgence for me would probably be 15 minutes of solitude, quiet and reflection. (Which is not to say one can’t quietly reflect with an umbrella beverage or decadent chocolate wonderfulness, but baby steps here, people… baby steps).

So, my mission now is to carve out that time for myself… to take some private moments each daymost days as often as possible to refill my spirit.

How do you refill your spirit? Is there an indulgence that makes your soul say ahhhh! What will you celebrate today?

There was no post for “Things That Don’t Suck Thursday”, not that I intend to do one every day, but I thought the first month I’d manage it (having already planned some general themes). It turns out I needed to ponder my things that don’t suck I was going to post this week, as it is a tad more complex than I originally envisioned.

As a bit of backstory, there was a point in my life many years ago when I watch ER regularly (earlier in the series). Then in one episode (and the details are foggy, long since purged by a brain in survival mode) either the patient mother or her newborn infant died. As a mother, with children both living and not, it cut to the quick, and I found myself sitting on the floor, hugging my knees, weeping long after the show had ended. That was not entertainment to me. It was as if I had been sucker punched, and I never watched the show again, save a moment here and there channel surfing.

So fast forwarding to this week, I have my Thursday idea of “indulgence” toying in my brain, and by Wednesday evening have only a general idea of where my post would go with that (perhaps noting getting out to the movies earlier this week with my BFF), and I was perfectly open to changing my topic to something else should inspiration strike before Thursday. Then Wednesday evening I sat down to watch “So You Think You Can Dance.” “Indulgence” would have to wait. I had just seen my TTDS post….

It was Melissa and Ade’s routine on breast cancer. I watched it and cried with Mia. I watched it, and cried again. Later I watched it with Husband and Rainbow and I cried again. Then Rainbow said to me, “Why do you keep watching this if it makes you cry?”

Indeed. How was this different than the episode of ER?

Fact – Cancer sucks. Pain sucks. But survival rocks. And art that touches your heart and that makes you feel something bigger than the piece itself… I think that rocks too. Which kind of begs the question of why I feel so differently about that episode of ER so long ago compared to that dance on Wednesday night? Is episodic television less art than other visual arts? Is it that one is fiction and obviously contrived, and the other shows a real person’s a realtime emotional reaction to it. I have no clue. But I’d be interested in hearing your thoughts on the matter.

So, this Can’t-Decide-What-Sucks-or-Doesn’t-Sunday presents art that moves you. Is there a memorable piece of art that touched your heart? I’d love to hear about it.

And I’ll try and think of an indulgence to tell you about for Thursday. Because I think I might enjoy the search to find just the right one. I invite you to do the same.

Yesterday I suggested we begin the practice here of “Things That Don’t Suck Thursdays” in which we celebrate those things in life which bring us delight. (You may prefer the less crude “Delightful Thursdays” or similar handle, but the intent could be the same). So without further ado, I present to you my first entry…. one of my favourite joys…

…Office Supplies.

Ahhh (happy sigh)….

Office stores to me are like casinos to a gambling addict. Does inspiration conjure any better feeling than the perfect pen that fits the hand just so, and has an ink which just glides across the page (if the ink is colourful all the better)? And the very first page of a new writing book that just calls to you, “Come rant, or laugh, or scribble, or create as you will.” Or the smell of a fresh box of crayons that beckons one to stretch one’s inner artist.

Is there a tool of some kind that is so perfect that it calls you to work? What will you celebrate today?